BROCKTON – The Cardinal Spellman and Westport boys basketball teams are very familiar with each other.

Saturday’s Division 3 South Sectional final at 4 p.m. at UMass-Boston will be the fourth meeting between the non-league foes since the start of last season.

Westport (No. 4 seed, 17-4) won both matchups last season, 60-51 and 52-44, handing Spellman half of its losses.

The Cardinals (No. 2, 19-4) won the lone matchup this season, 60-47.

“I don’t look at it as anything. It was early in the year,” said Spellman coach Mike Perry of the Cardinals’ win on Jan. 25 in Brockton. “Yeah, you saw personnel or whatever, but they’re a different team. Beating Rockland in the tournament, beating Brockton back there in the regular season, they’ve played a real good schedule.”

This is the first year the Cardinals and Wildcats are able meet in the tournament, as Westport moved up to Division 3 this season after a long run as a power in Division 4.

An experienced Westport team is 8-3 in tournament play the past four years (Spellman is 12-3). That includes back-to-back trips the past two years to the Division 4 semifinals. The 2013-14 squad is led by Tom Yeargin, Rich Hartnett and Chad Wilard.

“The point guard’s just clutch,” said Perry of Yeargin, who will be matched up with Spellman point guard Ryan Roach. “He was very good against us and he made the big plays (against Old Rochester on Wednesday in the Division 3 South Sectional semifinals).”

Hartnett creates a tough matchup for anyone.

“He’s a very good player,” said Perry. “He’s 6-5 and he can shoot 3s, can handle the ball. He’s good around the basket, smart player, good passer for a big guy.”

The Cardinals’ biggest advantage may be in size – in height and bench depth. Look for Rory Donovan to have a big game in the paint.

In the first meeting between the two teams this season, Joe Crane exploded for 18 second-half points after being held to four in the first half. Crane’s height and versatility create a matchup nightmare for opponents.

“I think Joey’s proved all year that he can create some problems, either with his shooting or around the basket,” said Perry.

Defensively, the Wildcats will throw everything they can at Spellman.

“I think they’re a pretty quick team,” said Perry. “I thought they got a lot of offense off their defense (in Wednesday’s semifinal win over Old Rochester). For them, it’s good if they can get out and start running.

Page 2 of 2 - “They throw a lot of full-court stuff at you, zones and mans, lot of half-court stuff, traps. We’ve got to be able to recognize what’s going on and make the right pass out of it.”

To get to the final, Westport had to survive three close tournament games. The Wildcats downed Norton (No. 13, 10-11), 56-50, in the first round; Rockland (No. 5, 16-6), 65-59, in the quarterfinals; Old Rochester (No. 1, 18-5), 57-55, in the semifinals.

The Cardinals breezed through the opening rounds with a 67-48 win over Hanover (No. 15, 8-13); a 68-39 trouncing of Dedham (No. 10, 12-12); a victory over Martha’s Vineyard (No. 3, 18-5), 64-63, in an overtime thriller.

Chris McDaniel may be reached at CMcDaniel@enterprisenews.com and followed on Twitter @ChrisMcDaniel88 for score updates on Saturday.